1881 Proof Three Cent Pattern - J-1668

Coin Details

Auction Record

$7,000 PR65 03-01-1980 Bowers & Ruddy

Description

Three-cent nickel pattern from 1881, part of Superintendent Snowden's coordinated design initiative for the cent, three-cent, and five-cent denominations. The obverse features Charles Barber's Liberty Head portrait, the same basic design used on the cent and nickel patterns but scaled to the three-cent piece's smaller module. The reverse displays the Roman numeral III within an agricultural wreath of wheat, cotton, and corn, paralleling the I on the cent patterns and V on the nickel patterns to create a unified visual language across denominations. The three-cent nickel had been in production since 1865 as a response to Civil War-era hoarding of silver coins, and by 1881 its utility was increasingly questioned as fractional silver coinage returned to normal circulation. These patterns explored whether the three-cent piece might be renewed with a modern Liberty Head design, though the denomination was ultimately discontinued in 1889 without adopting any of these proposed designs.

Rarity Notes

R-6 to R-7 (Very Rare to Extremely Rare). Estimated 8-12 specimens known.

Cross References

Judd J-1668, Pollock P-1869